Safety barrier for multi-storey buildings

ABSTRACT

A safety barrier system for use in constructing multi-storey buildings has elongated safety barrier panels extending upwards from a first floor level a sufficient height to serve as effective safety barriers during the work for the subsequent floor. The panels are supporterd at their side edges in tracks along which the panels can slide. The tracks are duplexed (siamesed) so as to link the respective safety modules into a continuous peripheral barrier. The respective panels and tracks are braced and independently supported, permitting the system elements to be ‘walked’ piecemeal up the face of a structure as required during its erection. Auxiliary barriers supplement the displaced panels, on lower levels, while toe-boards protect the floor-to-panel gap.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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Reference to a Sequence Listing, a Table, or a Computer Program Listing

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Compact Disc Appendix

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The present invention is directed to a safety barrier system for buildings, and in particular to a vertically extensible safety barrier for use in the construction of multi-storey buildings.

2. The history of constructing tall buildings is notoriously replete with the associated deaths of workers who fall from such structures. In the case of the Empire State Building in New York City tradition has it that each floor of elevation accounted for the loss of a worker's life.

Present day loss of lives, while not as scandalously high, is nevertheless too great.

A common technique for building a high rise building is to erect formwork at ceiling height above an existing floor, lay reinforcement, and then pour concrete into the formwork to form the next floor. The installation of such formwork and reinforcement necessitates working at a highly exposed, poorly protected working level.

Protective methods and apparatus currently in use include: low barriers to guard against accidental dislodgement of tools and materials from off the perimeter of the ‘working’ floor, and to safeguard workers from going beyond the floor perimeter; with peripheral safety nets strung about the perimeter of a lower floor, beneath the current working level and extending out from that floor. Being mounted upon vertical tracks, the nets can be raised, floor by succeeding floor, as the building progresses upwardly, However, while the net may save a life, the support structure for the net itself constitutes a hazard for anyone falling onto it.

When an overlying floor has been poured, support poles may be jacked into place between floor and ‘ceiling’, from which poles safety fencing may be secured, to restrain both individuals, their tools, and materials from falling. This latter system leaves open a dangerous accident ‘window’, until the succeeding floor has been poured, and the poles can be installed, which ‘windows’ constitute the most dangerous times of the building process, when workers are installing formwork and reinforcement while being totally unprotected against falling off the structure.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a safety module having an elongated safety panel that can extend from one floor of a building structure and project upwardly above a superposed higher floor (working level) of the structure by an extent sufficient to constitute an effective safety barrier for that working level. The safety fence panel is slidably mounted between a pair of side tracks, enabling the panel to be relocated upwardly, as a building progresses, floor by floor, with the panel also serving as a guide for the side tracks, such that the safety structure can be “walked” piecemeal up the side of a building, as the building progresses

Thus, the present invention provides a portable safety panel system for use at the face of a building, including a building under construction, with the distance between one floor and a superimposed floor being a first predetermined value; the panel system comprising a plurality of adjacent safety modules, each safety module having a pair of vertical side tracks in mutually parallel relation, extending to a second predetermined height; a safety panel having a third predetermined height extending laterally between the tracks and movably mounted to the tracks for relative vertical displacement relative to the tracks; the second predetermined height exceeding the first predetermined height by substantially at least the third predetermined height, whereby in use, with the module side tracks secured to one floor of the building, the side tracks extend upwardly a sufficient distance to enable the safety panel to be elevated, in positioned relation between the side tracks, and extending to its third height above the superimposed floor.

The subject system further includes first bracket means securable to the floor of the building, in supporting relation with a side track, to position the track in adjacent, outwardly spaced relation from the floor; and brace means attachable between the side tracks and the building structure to enable the side tracks to be secured in upstanding, cantilevered relation from the bracket means, in supporting relation with the safety barrier panel.

The subject system further includes toe board means of restricted depth, laterally coextensive with the safety panel, and bridging a gap between the face of the safety panel and the adjacent edge of the building floor, to contain articles from entering the gap.

The subject system may further include safety fence means attachable to a floor inboard of the safety panel system, to prevent unintended movement by an individual towards the subject safety barrier system.

The subject system also includes second, intermediate bracket means that are attachable to a floor, and to a track at a position intermediate its ends. The intermediate bracket means are also attachable in supporting relation to the safety panel, enabling the safety panel to be independently secured in a raised location, intermediate the ends of the tracks.

The relative sliding relationship between the safety panel and its tracks enables the safety panel, when anchored to the structure, to serve as a slide guide for its respective tracks, enabling the tracks to be individually winched upwardly to a higher floor and re-anchored. Correspondingly, the anchored and braced tracks serve as cantilevered guides for the respective safety panel/panels

Thus the elements of the system can be “walked” up the face of the building, being repositioned piecemeal as they are individually winched into place.

Further characteristics of the present invention include duplexed side tracks, wherein one of the side tracks for one module is adjoined with the side track of an adjacent module, into a unitary structure, thus facilitating coordinated relocation on a building. Also, an anchor bracket is provided for attachment to a selected building floor, the bracket being attachable by bolting or pinning to the duplexed side tracks, and to each of the two associated safety panels, independently of the side tracks. The subject anchor bracket is open-faced, enabling the independent vertical relocation of each safety panel and the duplexed side track. The safety panels and side tracks can be pinned to the anchor brackets at intermediate locations along their lengths. This facilitates securing side tracks in upwardly cantilevered relation, projecting up from anchor brackets on two floor levels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention are presented herewith, by way of illustration, without limitation thereto, other than as set forth in the claims hereof, it being understood that alternative embodiments herefrom may be readily provided by ones skilled in the art, in light of the present disclosure. Reference to the present drawings is made, wherein:

FIGS. 1 through 11 are schematic elevational side views of a safety barrier system module in accordance with the present invention, shown in a progression of positions and conditions relative to the construction of a multi-floor building;

FIG. 11A is a side-top perspective view of an anchor bracket for mounting and securing the barrier elements of the subject system to a building floor; and,

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the duplicate form of the module side tracks, and the associated fence panels and portions thereof, in accordance with the system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, which shows a schematic elevational side view of the elements of an embodiment of the subject safety barrier system, a safety barrier module 20 is mounted on a cast concrete floor 22 of a building under construction.

A fence panel 24 is slidably supported by a pair of side tracks 26, of which the proximal side track 26 is shown. A pair of inclined braces 28 secure the assembly 20 in upstanding cantilevered relation from the poured concrete floor 22, the braces being pinned to brackets 30 that are screwed to the floor 22.

The lower ends of the tracks 26 are supported by nose brackets 32 that are screwed at 33 to the floor 22. A shallow toe-board 34 which extends laterally coextensive with the fence panel 24, and is attached thereto, serves to bridge the gap between the fence panel 24 and the edge of floor 22. This particularly serves to prevent tools and materials getting kicked off the floor surface

Turning to FIG. 2, with the elements of module 20 extending up from floor 22, as illustrated in FIG. 1, concrete formwork members 38, 40 and associated re-bar can be safely installed within the protective ambit of the upwardly projecting top portion of safety fence 24, and the floor 42 then poured, without risk of workers falling from the edge of the building.

Turning to FIG. 3, a safety fence 44 is installed adjacent the edge of the floor 22, and on the ‘new’ floor 42, brackets 30′ for additional braces 28 and additional nose brackets 32′ are installed, while the formwork 38, 40 is indicated as having been removed.

Turning to FIG. 4, this indicates the removal of the braces 28. The fence panel 24 and side tracks 26 are supported both by nose bracket 32, and at floor 42, by nose bracket 32′

In FIG. 5, the fence panel 24 is shown raised to floor 42, being retained by the nose brackets 32′, as previously installed, and by upper brackets 46 engaged in the tracks 26. The safety fence 44 serves to safeguard the now-unprotected span between the tracks 26. The tracks 26 remain supported by portions 33 that form part of the nose brackets 32.

FIG. 6 shows the braces 28 transferred from the floor 22 to the superposed floor 42, the tracks 26 being retained by portions 33 of nose brackets 32.

FIG. 7 shows the removal of nose bracket portions 33 from the tracks 26, leaving them supported from the safety fence 24.

FIG. 8 shows the re-installation of the formwork 38, 40, this time upon floor 42, with the next floor 62 poured. This formwork and placement of re-bar and pouring of the floor is carried out within the protective ambit of the repositioned (raised) fence panel 24.

FIG. 9 shows the tracks 26 repositioned to, and supported from the floor 42. During this upward “stepping” of the system components, the secured fence panel 24 serves as a guide for the upward sliding of the side tracks 26, as they are hoisted or winched to their new station at the next level, the floor 42.

In this condition, the module 20 is set-up for a repetition of the above-described cycle.

FIG. 10 is inherently a ‘repetition’ of FIG. 6, carried out one floor higher; and FIG. 11 is a partial ‘repetition’ of FIG. 8, with the formwork 38, 40 relocated and reinstalled above the current ‘top’ floor 62, prior to the actual pouring of the concrete floor into the formwork portion 40. The fence panels 24 are relocated to, and supported at the current top floor 62, along with the braces 28. The tracks 26 extend from, and are secured to the second floor 42. Depending on local safety regulations, the safety fence 44 may be transferred from floor 22 to floor 42, or an additional safety fence (not shown) installed at floor 42, in the absence of the fence panels 24 at floor 42.

FIG. 11A shows a preferred anchor bracket embodiment 70. The bracket 70 has a baseplate 72 with a downturned forward lip 74 to engage the edge face of a floor, 22/42/62. Three forwardly projecting bars 76, 76 and 78 (illustrated as angle sections) are sized and positioned to engage respective ribs 27, 27 of mutually adjacent fence panels 24 and rib 29 of the associated duplexed track 26 (see FIG. 12), by way of bolts or pins inserted through apertures 77. The brackets 70 are secured by capscrews or ragbolts to the respective floor 22, 42, 62 of the structure.

Referring to FIG. 12, this shows the duplex (side by side or ‘siamesed’) form of the side tracks 26. Portions of three modules 20, are shown, with two side tracks 26 having four of the cylindrical edge portions 25 of three fence panels 24 entered in slidable relation within the twin enclosures of each of the tracks 26. The illustrated mesh portions of fence panels 24 are secured to the respective panel edge portions 25.

The duplex form of the tracks 26 enables the simultaneous manipulation of the track elements of adjoining modules 20, in carrying out the vertical repositioning or ‘walking’ of the system relative to the face of a building.

The open ends of the tracks 26 and the flat faces of the ribs 27, 29 facilitate assembly, disassembly and repositioning of the tracks 26 and gates 24 in relation to the brackets 70 of the system.

The brackets 70 are fabricated and bolted into position on the respective floor edges, relative to the lateral spacing and location of the ribs 27, 29 of panels 24 and tracks 26, so that the flat faces of the ribs 27, 29 are in vertical sliding relation with the flat outer faces of the angle bars 76, 78 of brackets 70. The flanges of angle bars 76, 78 may be relieved at their outer ends to accept the ribs 27, 29 of the gates 24 and tracks 26, if so desired.

This construction enables unrestricted vertical repositioning of the gates 24 and tracks 26 relative to the floor-mounted brackets 70. The brackets 70 can then be selectively pinned in supporting relation to the panels 24 and tracks 26 at intermediate locations along their length, in the manner indicated in FIGS. 4 through 8, 10 and 11.

It will be understood that the anchor bracket 70 embodiment serves the functions provided by nose brackets 32 and 32′, disclosed above. 

1. A safety barrier module for use upon a multi-storey structure, said module having an elongated safety fence panel that can extend from the edge of one floor of said building structure and project upwardly above the level of the edge of a superposed higher floor of the structure by an extent sufficient to constitute an effective safety barrier for workers located at said higher level; said safety fence panel being slidably mounted between a pair of side tracks, enabling the panel to be relocated, floor by floor up the face of the building, with the fence panel also serving as a guide for said side tracks, such that the safety structure can be walked piecemeal up the side of a building, as required.
 2. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, wherein the height between one floor and a superimposed floor has a first predetermined value; said vertical side tracks extending to a second predetermined height; said safety fence panel having a third predetermined height; said second predetermined height exceeding said first predetermined height by substantially at least said third predetermined height, whereby in use, with said module side tracks secured to one floor of said structure, said side tracks extend upwardly a sufficient distance to enable said safety fence panel to be elevated, in positioned relation between the side tracks, and extending to its third height above said superimposed floor, to constitute an effective safety barrier at the level of said superimposed floor.
 3. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, including first bracket means securable to said one floor in supporting relation with said side tracks, to position the tracks in outwardly spaced relation, adjacent the floor; and brace means connected between said side tracks and said structure to secure said side tracks in upstanding, cantilevered relation from said first bracket means.
 4. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 3 including toe board means laterally coextensive with said safety panel, being of restricted depth sufficient to bridge a gap between the safety panel and the adjacent edge of said building floor.
 5. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, in combination with safety fence means attachable to a said floor inboard of said floor edge, to limit movement by an individual towards the subject safety barrier system.
 6. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 3, including second bracket means attachable to a said floor and to said track at a position intermediate its ends.
 7. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 6, said second bracket means being attachable in supporting relation to said safety panel, enabling the safety panel to be independently secured in a raised location, intermediate the ends of said tracks.
 8. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 7, the relative sliding relationship between said safety panel and said tracks enabling the safety panel, when independently secured to said structure, to serve as a slide guide for a said track, for vertical displacement of said track relative to the face of said structure.
 9. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, said safety panel including an area of screen mesh.
 10. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, including multi-bracket means connecting said fence panel and said side tracks to at least one said floor edge in supported relation therewith.
 11. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 10, a said multi-bracket means having at least two projecting rib portions for connection of said fence panel and said side tracks to said structure independently of each other.
 12. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 11, said multi-bracket means having three said projecting rib portions, including a central rib portion to receive side track means in secured relation therewith, wherein said side track means is duplexed, to receive edge portions of two said safety barriers in entered, mutually adjacent relation therein.
 13. The safety barrier module as set forth in claim 1, in combination with adjacent said modules, said side tracks being of unitary, duplexed construction, to receive edge portions of two, adjacent said fence panels in side-by-side entered relation therein.
 14. A method for providing a perimeter safety barrier to the face of a structure in course of floor by floor construction, comprising the steps: erecting a series of mutually adjacent barrier panels in supported relation at the edge of a first floor: laterally linking said panels with interposed side tracks extending upward in cantilevered relation to project above the working level of a superposed second floor, said side tracks and panels serving as a perimeter safety barrier to said second floor working level, during construction of said second floor; and progressively relocating said safety barrier piecemeal up the face of said structure, in protective relation with a said superposed floor, and as a safety barrier at a further, superposed working level.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 14, including the steps of further securing said side tracks intermediate their ends to said structure, in supported, cantilevered relation above a said floor.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein said further securing step is carried out using securing devices selected from the group consisting of braces and multi brackets.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 14, including the step of connecting at least one said panel intermediate its ends to said structure, in stiffening relation with the panel.
 18. The method as set forth in claim 14, wherein said progressive relocation of said safety barrier is effected by winching said barriers and said side tracks piecemeal, from one said floor to a higher said floor, wherein said barriers and said side tracks mutually restrain each other in guided sliding relation during said relocation. 